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LEICA VARIO-ELMARIT-SL 24–70mm f/2.8 ASPH


theseus79

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The question is what we get. In the past the zooms from Leica were often build/developed in cooperation (e.g. Sigma). Is it a rebuild Pansonic, Sigma or is it a own developed lens. The first two possibilities make no sense, you get a better lens housing that's all. But the third possibility would be interesting and a step forward.

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8 minutes ago, TeleElmar135mm said:

The question is what we get. In the past the zooms from Leica were often build/developed in cooperation

Don’t see why this zoom would be any different than previous zooms. History is usually a good indication of the future.

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vor 2 Stunden schrieb beewee:

Don’t see why this zoom would be any different than previous zooms. History is usually a good indication of the future.

The zooms from the past are not bad (R-Zooms  from Sigma) and the actual zoom from Sigma/Panasonic (the 24-70) are very good. But I'm interested what Leica can do by it's own engeneering. Can they top Sigma, Pansonic, Sony not only in sharpness but also in the "Leica Magic".

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1 hour ago, TeleElmar135mm said:

The zooms from the past are not bad (R-Zooms  from Sigma) and the actual zoom from Sigma/Panasonic (the 24-70) are very good. But I'm interested what Leica can do by it's own engeneering. Can they top Sigma, Pansonic, Sony not only in sharpness but also in the "Leica Magic".

perhaps its engineered with Panasonics help.

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There's no need to speculate. Just have a look at Lensrental's tear-down of previous Leica SL zoom lenses. What you can expect is a lens built to the highest standards and using the latest technology. The major difference is that Leica's zooms use more exotic/expensive glass and more aspherical surfaces, as you would expect given the price difference.

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This isn’t making much sense. Such a lens would be the third L-mount 24-70 zoom. A 28-70 f2.0 would make more sense. Either way, the 24-90 Elmarit is a terrific lens with prominent dimensionality and unusual sharpness (compared to typical 24-70 zooms). If you want it more Leica-esk, you would have to buy a Leica prime. The half stop difference at 35-50mm won’t cut the mustard. At least not for me.

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8 hours ago, TeleElmar135mm said:

The zooms from the past are not bad (R-Zooms  from Sigma) and the actual zoom from Sigma/Panasonic (the 24-70) are very good. But I'm interested what Leica can do by it's own engeneering. Can they top Sigma, Pansonic, Sony not only in sharpness but also in the "Leica Magic".

The three current SL zooms, at least two of which predated the Panasonic 24-70, are superb lenses. Big, to be sure. But great performers. I have the 35 and 50 primes, and have to remind myself to use them...

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I thought about the Panasonic a few times, but it is a big lens. Very good, but big. 
 

If Leica pulls a trick and comes out with 24-70 or 28-70 2.8 which is considerable smaller, yes that would be really nice one. Or a really big trick and they come with a 2.0 - but that‘s wishful thinking - and a canon 2.0 28-70 like lens, might not be so well received - it‘s huge 

 

So, let‘s wait and see..

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15 hours ago, hansvons said:

This isn’t making much sense. Such a lens would be the third L-mount 24-70 zoom. A 28-70 f2.0 would make more sense. Either way, the 24-90 Elmarit is a terrific lens with prominent dimensionality and unusual sharpness (compared to typical 24-70 zooms). If you want it more Leica-esk, you would have to buy a Leica prime. The half stop difference at 35-50mm won’t cut the mustard. At least not for me.

A 28-70 F2 made by Leica would be priced in the 8k range due to the sheer amount of glass and materials involved. Just have a look at the Canon version. 

A 24-70 f2.8 can be sold as a kit lens with the SL2-S and, if it's indeed smaller than the 24-90, will appeal people that don't want to lug around the 24-90. 

More specifically, a fixed aperture zoom is required for videos, and selling a 24-70 2.8 with the SL2-S would be a way for Leica to show more commitment to this market segment, considering that the SL2-S is clearly marketed as a hybrid camera.

It's true that L-mount customers can buy one of the Sigmas or the Panasonic, but do you see Leica offering a third party lens for their SL?  

Edited by Simone_DF
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1 hour ago, Simone_DF said:

More specifically, a fixed aperture zoom is required for videos,

In my humble opinion, it's not. My Cooke 20-100 ramps a tad, so do all Cooke and Angenieux zooms from the 80ies and 90ies. And these are large S-35 mm zooms, weighing in the range of 4 kg+. But they are parfocal, which is much more important because holding focus cannot be compensated by stopping down half a stop or so. For many DoPs, ramping isn't an issue because it can be seen as an extra gift for the short end of being a bit faster when you look at it from the other side.

Personally, I can imagine that many 24-70 zooms are, in reality, somewhat of a 2.4 - 2.8 lens to make the short endless prone to vignetting and soft corners. Thus, the maximum aperture is set to 2.8, which altogether presents a uniformity to the customers, and subsequently in the past created a standard, the 24-70 f-2.8 all-purpose zoom. I'm not sure whether none of these ramps in the long end. And if they do, it means that the f-stop at 70 mm is more of an f 3.0.

In cine land, traditionally, this has been left to the cinematographers and their testing and taste. But you are right. The latest breed of the finest film zooms from Angenieux advertise their lenses with uniform T stops and even mention the phrase "no ramping". But it was never a requirement in filmmaking.

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1 hour ago, hansvons said:

 

Personally, I can imagine that many 24-70 zooms are, in reality, somewhat of a 2.4 - 2.8 lens to make the short endless prone to vignetting and soft corners. Thus, the maximum aperture is set to 2.8, which altogether presents a uniformity to the customers, and subsequently in the past created a standard, the 24-70 f-2.8 all-purpose zoom. I'm not sure whether none of these ramps in the long end. And if they do, it means that the f-stop at 70 mm is more of an f 3.0.

It's not just your imagination :) Peter Karbe said it himself many times that "constant aperture zoom leave something on the table at one end or another". Even on the really good canon 24-105 F4 MkII you can see darkening as you zoom in. The "F" (geometrical) aperture may be rated as constant, but the acutal illumination - or light/optical flow - "T" stop actually varies.

Most canon Zoom when rated for cine-rehousing show a T3 for a F2.8 value...

It has been proven by DXO and others that the "F" rating of Apo-Summicron SL lenses matches an actual "T" on the 35mm (only lens tested as per today I believe). When Leica 🤪 eventually decides to implement the "T" rating in Cine mode for the SL, I wouldn't be surprised to see that all Summicron Lenses show us that T2 = F2... and why not the very polarizing Vario SL 24-90 T2.8 to T4.

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This Lens will be made in Japan, not Germany, it will priced around 2500 US Dollar and on first release will be kit lens with SL2-S and maybe later will be sold alone, wight will be around 850g so its not a rebranded Panasonic lens! And way smaller than Panasonic 24-70
 

i Like the idea of Leica releasing affordable lenses for users who can not afford Lenses made in Germany, and hope on the future more lenses like this will be released 👌

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